Door triggered service indicator for rural type mailbox



Aug. 11, 1970 w w E 3,523,639

DOOR TRIGGERED SERVICE INDICATOR FOR RURAL TYPE MAILBOX Filed Aug. 2. 1968 I NVEN TO Walier Wze 9 #15 Arrazms/ United States Patent 3,523,639 Patented Aug. 11, 1970 3,523,639 DOOR TRIGGERED SERVICE INDICATOR FOR RURAL TYPE MAILBOX Walter Wiebe, 1231 San Felipe Road, Hollister, Calif. 95023 Filed Aug. 2, 1968, Ser. No. 749,856 Int. Cl. A47g 29/12 U.S. Cl. 232-35 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND This invention is related to mailbox signals and particularly to a device for automatically indicating that a rural type mailbox has been opened. There are many types and styles of flag indicators adapted for use on rural type mailboxes. The art is found mainly in class 232, sub-class 35 of the United States Patent Oflice.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present invention contemplates the provision of a service indicator which is easily applied to a rural type mailbox for operation by the door thereof when the latter is moved from closed to open condition.

Another object is to provide a service indicator in which a flanged spring loaded flag is adapted to be nested in non-indicating condition within a channel-like mounting and the latter secured to the spring steel door catch of a rural type mailbox for supporting a cam detent of a flag latching means in the path of swing of the door to be operated thereby for automatically releasing the flag for movement into a raised, indicating condition upon opening of such door.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description in the light of the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the door end of a rural type mailbox having the service indicato of the present invention applied thereto.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 with parts in a different position following opening of the door.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the service indicator of FIG. 2, the mailbox and door being fragmeutarily shown.

FIG. 4 is a vertical section through FIG. 3 taken along line 4-4 thereof.

FIG. 5 is a vertical section through FIG. 3 as seen from line 55 thereof.

Referring to the drawing a rural type mailbox, generally designated 10, is shown as of the conventional and regulation style of a receptacle 11 closed at all sides except at one open end 12 which is coverable by a front door 13. The door 13 is hingedly mounted on the base of the receptacle 11 by a pair of rearwardly extending ears 15 for swinging movement about a horizontal axis A. The ears 15 are pivotally connected by rivets 16 which extend co-axially of each other on axis A into the respective sides of the receptacle.

The door 13 has a rearwardly extending flange 17 at its sides and arcuate top 18 which embraces the open end 12 of the receptacle 1-1 to close the same when the door is in raised or covering position. At the arcuate upper end 18 of the door 13 a spring clip 19 is secured to the outer face of the door. This clip 19 has a forwardly extending handle portion 20 provided with a slight depression 21 on its upper surface. The depression 21 is adapted to receive and engage a comparable detent 22 on the forwardly extending portion 23 of a spring steel arm 24 secured by rivets or the like to the top of the receptacle 11 as at 25 adjacent the open end 12 of the latter.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION The service indicator of the present invention designated 26 in the drawings generally comprises a mounting 27 for a flag 28, means 29 for securing the mounting to the mailbox 10 and a triggered latching means 30 between the flag and mounting including a cam 31 disposed to be engaged by the door 13 when the latter is moved from closed toward opened condition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As best seen in FIG. 1 the flag 28 and mounting 27 are a pair of channel shaped members which nest together, channel to channel to provide a partial closure for the triggered latching means 30 of the indicator 26.

The channel shaped mounting 27 has a web 32 from which side flanges 33-33 extend upwardly to provide a trunnion-like support for the flag 28. The flag 28 is also channel shaped having a web 34 from which a pair of side flanges 35-35 extend at a spaced relation such as to fit within the side flanges 33-33 of the mounting member 27. Each of the flanges 33-33 and 35-35 are provided with aligned bores 36 and 37 through which loosely fitted rivets 38 and 38 extend. The rivets 38-38 pivotally mount the flag 28 upon the trunnion-like support thus provided for swinging movement about an axis B adjacent one end of the mounting 27 A mounting bracket 39 is secured to the underside of the web 32 of mounting 27 adjacent that end of the channel opposite the axis B of the trunnion-like support for the flag. The bracket '39 is a U shaped clip having its bight portion 40 secured by bolts or the like to the web 32 along the fore to aft center thereof.

The legs 41-41 of the U shaped bracket 39 are spaced to straddle the steel spring arm 24 of the door latch on the mailbox (see FIGS. 3, 4 and 5). A single bolt 42 extending through the legs 41-41 of bracket 39 and beneath the steel spring arm 24 serves to secure the service indicator 28 to and centrally of the mail-box 10.

The web 32 of the channel shaped mounting member 27 has a pair of ears 43-43 die punched upwardly within such channel and offset slightly from the fore to aft center thereof. These ears 43-43 are spaced apart sufficiently to receive a flat plate dog-leg lever 44 therebetween. The lever 44 is pivotally mounted on the ears 43-43 by a pin 45 extending therethrough. This pivotal connection by pin 45 is at the heel or corner of the dogleg lever 44 such that one arm 46 thereof extends parallel to the web 32 of member 27 and the other leg 47 extends upwardly therefrom.

The upwardly extending leg 47 is slightly offset rearwardly from the axis of pivotation at pin 45 such that the upper extremity of leg 47 is disposed rearwardly of the back edge of the mounting member 27 The leg 47 has a notch 48 formed in its front edge for engaging the free edge 49 of the web 34 of the flag 28 opposite its pivotal connection with the mounting member 27. This maintains the web 34 substantially parallel to the web 34 of the mounting member 27 as best seen in FIG. 1 and in dotted lines FIG. 4.

One side flange 35 of the channel shaped flag 28 has an inwardly projecting ear 50 adjacent to but spaced from the pivotal connection at rivet 38. The rearward end of the web 32 of mounting member 27 has an upturned reinforcing flange 51 to which one end of a tension spring 52 is attached. The opposite end of the spring 52 is attached to the ear 50 on the flag 28 so as to normally pull the same into a raised or indicating condition as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 2. However, when the flag 28 is manually swung down into nested, parallel and non-indicating relation to the mounting member 27, the free end 49 of the flag 28 engages in the notch 48 on the triggered latching means 30 to thereby resist the action of the now tensioned spring 52.

Means for automatically releasing the flag 28 for movement into raised or indicating condition comprises a cam detent 55 formed on the one arm 46 of the dog-leg lever 44 so disposed as to be engaged by the crown 18 of the door 13 as the latter swings toward opened condition. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 the entire service indicator 26 projects forwardly beyond the open front 12 of the mailbox 10. The cam detent 55 projects downwardly so as to extend over the arcuate crown 18 of the door 13 when the latter is in closed condition. To accommodate the cam detent 55 the web 32 of the mounting member 27 has a slot 56 formed therein in alignment with the mounting ears 43-43 upon which the lever 44 is pivoted. It will thus be seen that the cam detent 55 extends through the slot 56 while the lever arm 46 rests upon the web 32 (FIG. 4) the back edge 57 of the cam detent 55 is thus disposed in the path of movement of the door 13 as the latter is swung away from covering or closed condition relative to the open end 12 of the mailbox 10.

In a normal operation the service indicator 26 has its flag 28 latched in nested, non-indicating condition parallel to the mounting member 27. When the mailman or anyone deposits a letter or communication in the box 10 the door 13 of the latter must be opened. The arcuate crown 18 of the door 13 thus strikes the aft edge 57 of the cam detent 55, raises the latter upwardly thus rocking the dogleg lever 44 to dotted line position (counterclockwise FIG. 4). This releases the notched edge 48 of the lever from engagement with the free end 49 of the flag 28 whereupon the tensioned spring 52 rocks the flag 28 into uprightindicating condition as illustrated in FIGS. 2 through of the drawings.

As is well gnown rural type mailboxes are grey or metallic in color. To make the flag 28 more visible from a distance its exposed sides and upper surface are coated with a distinguishing color such as red. Consequently, when the flag is down, in non-indicating condition, the flag is nested within the channel shaped mounting member 27 and its top (web 34 of the flag) not visible from a distance. However, when the flag 28 is in raised, indicating condition, the exposed sides as well as the web of the channel shaped flag 28 are visible from all angles of the compass.

The foregoing is so even though the door 13 is again closed after deposit of the mail in the receptacle portion 11 of the box 10. When the owner or addressee of the box empties the box and closes the door 13, he simply presses or swings the flag 28 down into nested position Within the mounting member 27. The dog-leg lever 44 being weighted on its arm 46 by the cam detent 55 will assume latching condition wherein the notch 48 on leg 47 of the triggered latching means again latches onto the free end 49 of flag 28 to latch the latter in non-indicating condition.

Having thus described the foregoing service indicator for rural type mailboxes in specific detail it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the same may be modified, altered and/or varied without departing from the spirit of my invention therein. I therefore desire to avail myself of all modifications, alterations and/or variations as may fairly come within the purview of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A service indicator for a rural type mailbox having a steel spring door latch secured to its upper surface and extending over the open end of such box for securing engagement with a front door pivotally mounted at its lower end to such box for swinging movement about an axis transverse to the latter comprising in combination:

(a) a channel like mounting member;

(b) means for securing said mounting member to the upper surface of said box, with the flanges of said mounting member upstanding;

(c) a channel shaped flag having side flanges disposed to nest within the upstanding flanges of said mounting member;

((1) means for pivotally mounting the flanges of said flag to the upstanding flanges of said mounting member adjacent the fore end of the latter for pivotal movement of said flag about an axis parallel to and offset from the axis of swing of said door;

(e) spring means between said flag and said mounting member for normally urging said flag into raised, indicating condition relative thereto;

(f) a dog-leg lever pivotally mounted on said mounting means and having an upstanding leg offset rearward- 1y of said mounting means and provided with a notch in its fore edge for engaging the free end of said flag to hold the latter nested within said mounting means; and

(g) a cam formed on said dog-leg lever and disposed in the path of swing of said door for engagement thereby when said door is moved toward opened position for automatically releasing said flag from engagement with said notch in the fore edge of the up standing leg of said dog-leg lever and for movement into raised condition under the influence of said spring means.

2. The service indicator of claim 1 in which said dogleg lever has:

(a) a forwardly extending arm formed integrally with the cam thereof, and in which;

(b) said mounting member has a slot formed therethrough in the plane of swing of said dog-leg lever and in the region of the upper edge of said door for passage of said cam through such slot for engagement by said door and for weighting said dog-leg lever in a direction wherein the notched fore edge of said upstanding leg thereof is constantly urged toward latching engagement with the free end of said flag except when said cam is engaged by said door as the latter is moved past said cam.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 884,964 4/1908 Voss 232-35 1,248,171 11/1917 Schubert 232-35 1,685,874 10/1928 Feist 232-35 2,480,469 8/ 1949 Horn 232-35 2,483,992 10/1949 Young 232-35 2,812,130 11/1957 Abell 232-35 3,014,641 12/1961 Sowton 232-35 3,072,322 1/1963 Van Meter 232-34 3,095,140 6/1963 Buedingen 232-35 3,291,386 12/1966 Van Fleet 232-35 FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner 

